Combine heads for row crops conventionally have two pointed elongated gathering frames which are closely spaced to form an elongated slot to receive the plants of a row crop with the gathering frames being located on opposite sides of the row crop. As the combine moves forwardly, a pair of continuous rotating belts mounted within the gathering frames in a sinusoidal configuration rotate rearwardly within the slot in overlapping synchronized relation. The stalks of soybeans, for example, are gripped by the overlapping undulations of the belts and pulled rearwardly through the slots for disposal.
The main problem associated with this type of design is that the belts trap plants therebetween and sometimes pull them around at the discharge end of the slots instead of releasing them. In combines especially built to harvest seed stock, this leads to the possibility of contamination from plot to plot. This is because the seed from the different plots is segregated, and a rogue soybean stalk not released by the gathering belts, may contaminate the seed from a second plot if present on the belt as a row in the second plot is being harvested.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a combine head gathering belt assembly that will not allow plants to become bound between the belts when the belts move around upper sprockets supporting the chain mounted belts.
A further object of this invention is to provide a combine head gathering belt assembly that will release the plants as the belts move past the upper sprockets of the combine head in which the belts are mounted.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.